Mineral Ridge and McDonald are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2021, but likely not for long. The Rams will be playing in front of their home fans against the Blue Devils at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Mineral Ridge lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Western Reserve, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Thursday's matchup. The Rams blew past the Blue Devils 18-2 on Thursday. The win was familiar territory for the Rams, who have now won six games in a row.
Nick Anderson
| 05/07/26 vs Western Reserve | 10 |
| 04/12/25 vs Lowellville | 8 |
| 05/13/25 vs McDonald | 7 |
| 04/22/25 vs Springfield | 6 |
| 04/18/25 vs Western Reserve | 6 |
Nick Anderson made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single hit and allowing only two earned runs while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Those ten strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Mineral Ridge got a massive performance out of Jackson Geddes, who went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. That's the most RBI Geddes has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Dom Balestrino, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, McDonald got themselves on the board against Springfield on Thursday, but Springfield never followed suit. They put the hurt on the Tigers with a sharp 10-0 victory.
Like Mineral Ridge, McDonald also got a great game from a two-way player: Quinn Schmidt. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over six innings pitched. Schmidt has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up a single earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Brady Klockner was incredible, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. Jordan Perry was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
McDonald's win bumped their record up to 13-3. As for Mineral Ridge, their victory bumped their record up to 11-6.
Mineral Ridge was able to grind out a solid win over McDonald when the teams last played back in May of 2025, winning 9-4. Will the Rams repeat their success, or do the Blue Devils have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
